“So, that’s how we’ll do it then!”
“Agreed! It’s a deal!”
Thus began the grand conspiracy between Qiu and Liang.
However, after deciding on the plan, Qiu Xi didn't immediately approach Shen Yingjun about it.
Instead, she resumed her obsessive journey of research.
Liang Yunfei, who had been bored to death, also started her busy “summer work” because of this.
Due to unfamiliarity, she called home several times for advice. Her frequent greetings made Liang’s parents murmur, wondering if their quiet and aloof daughter had been possessed by something.
But these were minor issues. Liang Yunfei didn’t mind them; as long as it helped her solve problems, they were not problems at all.
…
“Xi, why aren’t you in the lab today?”
Old Zhang looked at Qiu Xi, who usually seemed to want to stay in the lab for all three meals, but was now sitting under a tree in the scorching heat. He was truly puzzled.
Even if she wasn’t doing experiments, why would she come out here instead of staying in the nice, air-conditioned room?
Qiu Xi sighed, “Old Zhang, I’ve hit a problem again!”
“So, I just came out for some fresh air…”
“I don’t understand you young people nowadays.”
“Since you have nothing to do, do you want to come with me to the fields?”
“It will also give me something to do in my downtime.”
Qiu Xi suddenly stood up, feeling a bit dizzy.
After steadying herself, she casually patted her backside.
“Old Zhang, let’s go. I’ll come with you.”
Since she couldn’t figure anything out anyway, it was better to go out and relax her mind.
“Sure thing~”
“Here, take a hoe, and let’s go.”
“Mhm.”
…
“Old Zhang… *pant*…”
This was the first time Qiu Xi had ever been so disheveled. She looked like she had just been fished out of water. Between breaths, she grabbed the hem of her clothes and wiped the sweat from her brow.
“Is the work of a technician this tiring?”
After saying this, she drank several mouthfuls of water.
“Of course, we all have to eat,” Old Zhang replied.
“The boss pays quite a bit, so we have to work hard.”
Remembering something, Old Zhang pointed at Qiu Xi with a smile, “But you, girl, you’re quite something.”
“There’s a knack to this work. Brute force is inefficient.”
“Like just now, you put in a lot of effort to speed things up, but you didn’t do it right.”
“Ah?!”
Qiu Xi was stunned!
All her hard work for so long… wasn’t it yielding half the results with double the effort…
“What’s with the ‘ah’? Old Zhang, let me teach you how to conserve energy and do the job well.”
“Wait! Old Zhang, you have to let me rest. We’ll do it again later.”
On such a hot day, Old Zhang still smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll wait until you’ve rested.”
After sitting and resting for a while, Qiu Xi moved her arms.
“Old Zhang, let’s begin.”
“You go ahead.”
“Let me tell you, there’s a technique to digging holes too. We have to create a home suitable for what we’re planting.”
“So, the size and depth of the holes are all different, and this affects the growth of these flowers and plants later on.”
“For example, nutrient absorption during the seedling stage, it affects their emergence from the soil!”
“This deep one… it probably won’t come out in its lifetime.”
…
Old Zhang kept talking to Qiu Xi for a long time.
Finally, when the work was all done, his experience teaching session came to an end.
“Alright, you worked hard today, young lady. Let’s head back, it’s almost time for dinner.”
“Mhm.”
Qiu Xi was too tired to even speak.
All she wanted now was to go back, drink some water, and take a bath to relax.
“Let’s go. You don’t need to come to the lab tonight. Get a good rest, or you might not be able to work tomorrow.”
After holding a hoe all day, the digging wasn’t done perfectly, but her hands were truly exhausted.
“I’ll give you something later. Soak it tonight, then rub it well, and you’ll feel better tomorrow.”
“Okay, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Although she could directly exchange for a pill in the system store, this was Old Zhang’s kindness, and she might as well experience it.
If she couldn’t use her hands tomorrow, it wouldn’t be too late to exchange then.
“Please don’t stand on ceremony. I haven’t even thanked you for helping me out here today.”
“Hurry up and go back.”
“Alrighty~”
…
In the evening.
Qiu Xi, completely spent after a day’s work, was now lying in the bathtub.
Her body felt comfortable, but her mind was still preoccupied with the unfinished experiments in the lab from the morning.
After everyone had tried it, she had noted down many things and was planning to make improvements, but she just couldn’t find a breakthrough.
Asking Xiao Hua was of no help; it was excellent at testing but completely useless for improvements, so she had to do it herself.
No choice, so here she was, still thinking about the problem while lying down.
She had already solved the initial issue of different skin types.
For those who were genuinely unsuitable, she could only offer a warning. After all, nothing was perfect and suitable for everyone.
Perhaps it was only meant for a portion of people, so one shouldn’t be too greedy in this regard.
But the subsequent issue of absorption, which was crucial, had been on her mind all day. Not to mention any breakthrough progress, she didn’t even have a single flash of inspiration…
Sigh…
If this continued, not only the materials she had prepared, but even this most basic product, would end up being mediocre.
Although Xiao Hua had said that this level was acceptable and there were no problems, now that she had tried it herself and found this flaw, she couldn’t just let it slide. Otherwise, she herself would feel bothered.
Therefore, she could only force herself to seek a breakthrough.